The present invention relates to an aircraft with a fuselage, wings, horizontal stabilizers and a vertical stabilizer, wherein on the front portion of the vertical stabilizer an elongated one-piece nose element is mounted which forms lateral air guide surfaces, and wherein to the front end of which nose element a perforated metal plate nose member is attached.
In a prior art vertical stabilizer of this type (EP 0 836 989 A2), the one-piece nose element is open at its front end which front end is covered by a metal plate nose member. In addition to the perforation in the nose member, perforations are provided in the nose element. In operation, air from the outside is sucked into a chamber enclosed by the lateral walls of the nose element and the nose member. From this chamber the air can be removed by a suction pump or the like. By such removal of air, a laminar air flow is formed on the external surface of the vertical stabilizer.
Due to the perforations in both the nose element and the nose member, air is removed along a relatively long area so that laminar air flows are obtained over a relatively large distance.
In another prior art design (US 2009/0212165 A1) a perforated one-piece nose element is mounted to an auxiliary strut of the internal structure of the vertical stabilizer, which nose element is curved at its front end so that air can enter at such front end and at the side walls. Such a nose piece requires relatively strong material and/or an inner reinforcement member with openings for the air flow to obtain the necessary strength.